Yesterday (song): Difference between revisions

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{{short description|1965 single by the Beatles}}

The Poo Poo Masat does not like the beetles

{{about|the Beatles song|other songs|Yesterday (disambiguation)#Songs}}

{{Use British English|date=May 2018}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Yesterday

| cover = beatles-singles-yesterday.jpg

| alt =

| caption = US picture sleeve

| type = single

| artist = [[the Beatles]]

| B-side = [[Act Naturally#The Beatles version|Act Naturally]]

| released = {{Start date|1965|09|13|df=y}}

| recorded = 14, 17 June 1965

| studio = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London

| genre = * [[Chamber pop]]{{sfn|Gorlinski|2010|p=275}}

| length = 2:03

| label = [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (US), [[Parlophone]] (UK)

| writer = [[Lennon–McCartney]]

| producer = [[George Martin]]

| chronology = [[The Beatles]] US

| prev_title = [[Help! (song)|Help!]]

| prev_year = 1965

| next_title = [[We Can Work It Out]]

| next_title2 = [[Day Tripper]]

| next_year = 1965

| misc =

{{Extra chronology

| artist = [[The Beatles]] UK

| type = single

| prev_title = [[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]

| prev_year = 1970

| title = Yesterday

| year = 1976

| next_title = [[Back in the U.S.S.R.]]

| next_year = 1976

}}

}}

"'''Yesterday'''" is a song by the English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Beatles]], written by [[Paul McCartney]] and credited to [[Lennon–McCartney]]. It was first released on the album ''[[Help!]]'' in August 1965, except in the United States, where it was issued as a [[Single (music)|single]] in September. The song reached number one on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart. It subsequently appeared on the UK EP ''[[Yesterday (Beatles EP)|Yesterday]]'' in March 1966 and made its US album debut on ''[[Yesterday and Today]]'', in June 1966.

McCartney's vocal and [[acoustic guitar]], together with a [[string quartet]], was essentially the band's first solo performance. It remains popular today and, with 2,200 [[cover version]]s,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/334373.stm |title=Sir Paul is Your Millennium's greatest composer |publisher=BBC News |date=3 May 1999 |access-date=26 June 2023}}</ref> is one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music.{{refn|At one time, ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' cited "Yesterday" with the most [[cover version]]s of any song ever written – 2,200. However, "[[Summertime (George Gershwin song)|Summertime]]", an aria composed by [[George Gershwin]] for the 1935 opera ''[[Porgy and Bess]]'' has been claimed to have well over 30,000 recorded performances, far more than the 1,600 claimed for "Yesterday".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Summertime Connection|url=https://www.summertime-connection.nl/|access-date=31 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907081929/http://www.summertime-connection.nl/|archive-date=7 September 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>|group="note"}} "Yesterday" was voted the best song of the 20th century in a 1999 [[BBC Radio 2]] poll of music experts and listeners and was also voted the No. 1 [[Pop music|pop]] song of all time by [[MTV]] and ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine the following year. In 1997, the song was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]]. [[Broadcast Music Incorporated]] (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century.<ref name=BMI232893>{{cite web |url=https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/232893 |title=BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century |publisher=[[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]] |date=13 December 1999 |access-date=26 June 2016}}</ref>

"Yesterday" is a melancholic [[Sentimental ballad|ballad]] about the break-up of a relationship. The singer nostalgically laments for yesterday when he and his love were together before she left because of something he said.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/09/top-21-songs-about-nostalgia/2/ |title=Top 21 Songs About Nostalgia |publisher=Consequence of Sound |date=3 September 2018 |access-date=30 June 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> McCartney is the only member of the Beatles to appear on the track. The final recording was so different from other works by the Beatles that the band members vetoed the song's release as a single in the United Kingdom. However, other artists quickly recorded versions of it for single release. The Beatles' recording was issued in the U.K. as a single in 1976 and peaked at number 8 on the [[UK singles chart|UK Singles Chart]].

==Origin==

According to biographers of [[Paul McCartney]] and the Beatles, the entire melody came to McCartney in a dream one night in his room at the [[Wimpole Street]] home of his then-girlfriend [[Jane Asher]] and her family.{{sfn|Turner|2005|p=83}} Upon waking, he hurried to a piano and played the tune to avoid forgetting it.{{sfn|Cross|2005|pp=464–465}} Initially he was concerned, though, that he had subconsciously [[plagiarism|plagiarised]] someone else's work; as he put it: "For about a month I went round to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before. Eventually it became like handing something in to the police. I thought if no one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it."{{sfn|Cross|2005|pp=464–465}}

Upon being convinced that he had not copied the melody, McCartney began writing lyrics to suit it. As [[John Lennon]] and McCartney were known to do at the time, a substitute working lyric, titled "Scrambled Eggs" (the working opening verse was "Scrambled eggs/Oh my baby how I love your legs/Not as much as I love scrambled eggs"), was used for the song until something more suitable was written.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=201–202}}

During the shooting of ''[[Help! (film)|Help!]]'', a piano was placed on one of the stages where filming was being conducted, and McCartney took advantage of this opportunity to tinker with the song. This eventually greatly annoyed the director [[Richard Lester]], who lost his temper, telling McCartney to finish writing the song or he would have the piano removed.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=203}} The patience of the other Beatles was also tested by McCartney's work in progress; [[George Harrison]] summed this up when he said: "Blimey, he's always talking about that song. You'd think he was [[Beethoven]] or somebody!"{{sfn|Coleman|1995|p=11}}

McCartney originally claimed he had written "Yesterday" during the Beatles' tour of France in 1964; however, the song was not released until the summer of 1965. During the intervening time, the Beatles released two albums, ''[[A Hard Day's Night (album)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' and ''[[Beatles for Sale]]'', each of which could have included "Yesterday". Although McCartney has never elaborated on his claims, a delay may have been due to a disagreement between McCartney and [[George Martin]] regarding the song's [[arrangement (music)|arrangement]] or the opinion of the other Beatles who felt it did not suit their image.{{sfn|Cross|2005|pp=464–465}}

Lennon later indicated that the song had been around for a while before:

{{blockquote|The song was around for months and months before we finally completed it. Every time we got together to write songs for a recording session, this one would come up. We almost had it finished. Paul wrote nearly all of it, but we just couldn't find the right title. We called it 'Scrambled Eggs' and it became a joke between us. We made up our minds that only a one-word title would suit, we just couldn't find the right one. Then one morning Paul woke up and the song and the title were both there, completed. I was sorry in a way, we'd had so many laughs about it.{{sfn|Hammond|2001}}}}

McCartney said the breakthrough with the lyrics came during a trip to Portugal in May 1965:

{{blockquote|I remember mulling over the tune 'Yesterday', and suddenly getting these little one-word openings to the verse. I started to develop the idea&nbsp;... da-da da, yes-ter-day, sud-den-ly, fun-il-ly, mer-il-ly and Yes-ter-day, that's good. All my troubles seemed so far away. It's easy to rhyme those a's: say, nay, today, away, play, stay, there's a lot of rhymes and those fall in quite easily, so I gradually pieced it together from that journey. Sud-den-ly, and 'b' again, another easy rhyme: e, me, tree, flea, we, and I had the basis of it.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=204}}}}

On 27 May 1965, McCartney and Asher flew to [[Lisbon]] for a holiday in [[Albufeira]], [[Algarve]], and he borrowed an acoustic guitar from [[Bruce Welch]], in whose house they were staying, and completed the work on "Yesterday".{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=204–205}} The song was offered as a demo to [[Chris Farlowe]] before the Beatles recorded it, but he turned it down as he considered it "too soft".{{sfn|Napier-Bell|2001|p=100}} In a March 1967 interview with [[Brian Matthew]], McCartney said that Lennon came up with the word that would replace "scrambled eggs": Yesterday.<ref>{{Cite book

|last=Howlett

|first=Kevin

|year=2013

|title=The Beatles: The BBC Archives: 1962–1970

|publisher=[[Harper Design]]

|isbn=978-0-06-228853-0

}}</ref>

===Resemblance to other songs===

In 2001, Ian Hammond speculated that McCartney subconsciously based "Yesterday" on [[Ray Charles]]' version of [[Hoagy Carmichael]]'s "[[Georgia on My Mind]]". Hammond concluded his article by saying that, despite the similarities, "Yesterday" is a "completely original and individual [work]".{{sfn|Hammond|2001}}

In July 2003, British [[musicology|musicologists]] stumbled upon superficial similarities between the lyric and rhyming schemes of "Yesterday" and [[David Whitfield]]'s, [[Frankie Laine]]'s, and [[Nat King Cole]]'s "[[Answer Me, My Love]]"; originally a German song by [[Gerhard Winkler (composer)|Gerhard Winkler]] and [[Fred Rauch]] called ''Mütterlein'', it was a number 1 hit for Laine on the [[UK singles chart|UK Singles Chart]] in 1953 as "Answer Me, O Lord", leading to speculation that the song had influenced McCartney. McCartney's publicists denied any resemblance between "Answer Me, My Love" and "Yesterday".{{sfn|BBC News|2003}} "Yesterday" begins with the lines: "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay." In its second stanza, "Answer Me, My Love" has the lines: "You were mine yesterday. I believed that love was here to stay. Won't you tell me where I've gone astray".

==Composition and structure==

{{Listen

| type = music

| filename = Yesterday.ogg

| title = "Yesterday" sample

}}

Ostensibly simple, featuring only McCartney playing an [[Epiphone Texan]] [[steel-string acoustic guitar]]{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=12}} backed by a [[string quartet]] in one of the Beatles' first uses of session musicians,{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=13}} "Yesterday" has two contrasting sections, differing in melody and rhythm, producing a sense of variety and fitting contrast.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=15}} The main melody is seven bars in length, extremely rare in popular songs, while the bridge, or "middle eight", is the more standard form of eight bars, often two four-bar phrases combined.

The first section ("Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away&nbsp;...") opens with an F [[chord (music)|chord]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The New Beatles Complete |publisher=Wise Publications |date=1992 |isbn=0711932824 |page=284}}</ref> (the 3rd of the chord is omitted<ref name="pedler">{{cite book |title=The Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles |first=Dominic |last=Pedler |page=29 |publisher=Omnibus Press |date=2003 |quote=Listen to the start of 'Yesterday' to sample McCartney's 'no thirds' G5 shape (though, as he explains on the ''Anthology 2'' version, he is tuned down a whole tone to F). |isbn=0711981671}}</ref>), then moving to Em⁷<ref name = Pollack>Pollack calls it an E diminished, the published sheet music shows Em7.</ref> before proceeding to A⁷ and then to D minor.{{sfn|Pollack|1993}} In this sense, the opening chord is a decoy; as musicologist [[Alan W. Pollack|Alan Pollack]] points out, the home key (F major) has little time to establish itself before "heading towards the relative D minor".{{sfn|Pollack|1993}} He points out that this diversion is a compositional device commonly used by Lennon and McCartney, which he describes as "deferred gratification".{{sfn|Pollack|1993}}

{{quote box|quote=As is often the case with the over-exposed war horses of any artsy genre, whether or not you "like" this song, there's some good reason {{em|why}} it became so over-exposed in the first place. (hint) It's a fine piece of work with something going for it in virtually every department: the unique arrangement, an attractive tune, even some asymmetrical phrasing and a couple of off-beat chord progressions.{{sfn|Pollack|1993}} |source=– Musicologist [[Alan W. Pollack]], 1993 |width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}

According to Pollack, the second section ("Why she had to go I don't know&nbsp;...") is less musically surprising on paper than it sounds. Starting with Em⁷,<ref name = Pollack/> the harmonic progression quickly moves through the A major, D minor, and (closer to F major) B{{music|flat}}, before resolving back to F major, and at the end of this, McCartney holds F while the strings descend to resolve to the home key to introduce the restatement of the first section, before a brief hummed closing phrase.{{sfn|Pollack|1993}}

Pollack described the scoring as "truly inspired", citing it as an example of "[Lennon & McCartney's] flair for creating stylistic hybrids";{{sfn|Pollack|1993}} in particular, he praises the "ironic tension drawn between the schmaltzy content of what is played by the quartet and the restrained, spare nature of the medium in which it is played".{{sfn|Pollack|1993}}

The [[tonic (music)|tonic key]] of the song is F major (although, since McCartney tuned his guitar down a whole step, he was playing the chords as if it were in G<ref name="pedler" />), where the song begins before veering off into the key of D minor. It is this frequent use of the minor, and the ii–V7 [[chord progression]] (Em and A⁷ chords in this case) leading into it, that gives the song its melancholic aura. The A⁷ chord is an example of a [[secondary dominant]], specifically a V/vi chord. The G⁷ chord in the bridge is another secondary dominant, in this case a V/V chord, but rather than [[resolution (music)|resolve]] it to the expected chord, as with the A⁷ to Dm in the verse, McCartney instead follows it with the IV chord, a B{{music|flat}}. This motion creates a descending [[chromatic]] line of C–B–B{{music|flat}}–A to accompany the title lyric.

The string arrangement reinforces the song's air of sadness in the groaning cello line that connects the two halves of the [[bridge (music)|bridge]], notably the "[[Blue note|blue]]" seventh in the second bridge pass (the E{{music|flat}} played after the vocal line "I don't know / she wouldn't say") and in the descending run by the [[viola]] that segues the bridge back into the verses, mimicked by McCartney's vocal on the second pass of the bridge.{{sfn|Cahill|2005|p=162}}{{sfn|Pollack|1993}} This viola line, the "blue" cello phrase, the high A sustained by the violin over the final verse and the minimal use of vibrato are elements of the string arrangement attributable to McCartney rather than George Martin.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ray Colman |chapter-url=https://www.wingspan.ru/bookseng/coleman/coleman03.html |title=McCartney: Yesterday & Today |chapter=A String Quartet}}</ref>

When the song was performed on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', it was done in the key mentioned above of F, with McCartney as the only Beatle to perform and the studio orchestra providing the string accompaniment. However, all of the Beatles played in a G-major version when the song was included in tours in 1965 and 1966.

When McCartney appeared on ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'', he stated that he owned the original lyrics to "Yesterday" written on the back of an [[envelope]]. McCartney later performed the original "Scrambled Eggs" version of the song, plus additional new lyrics, with [[Jimmy Fallon]] and [[the Roots]] on ''[[Late Night with Jimmy Fallon]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/Paul-McCartney-sings-Scrambled-Eggs-the-original-Yesterday-12910/1264343 |title=Paul McCartney sings "Scrambled Eggs" (the original "Yesterday")|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226161620/http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/Paul-McCartney-sings-Scrambled-Eggs-the-original-Yesterday-12910/1264343 |archive-date=26 December 2010}}</ref>

When asked whether some of the lyrics from "Yesterday" are a reference to his early loss of his mother, [[Personal relationships of Paul McCartney#Jim and Mary McCartney|Mary McCartney]], he stated that "I didn't mean it to be, but ... it could be".<ref>{{cite web|date=24 September 2019|title=Paul McCartney Often Dreams of John Lennon|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPBTn746v4I| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/sPBTn746v4I| archive-date=17 November 2021 | url-status=live|publisher=[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Recording==

[[File:Epiphone Texan (Paul McCartney Used).jpg|thumb|left|Replica of the [[Epiphone Texan]] acoustic guitar played by McCartney on the song]]

The track was recorded at [[Abbey Road Studios]] on 14 June 1965, immediately following the taping of "[[I'm Down]]" and four days before McCartney's 23rd birthday. There are conflicting accounts of how the song was recorded. Some sources state that McCartney and the other Beatles tried a variety of instruments, including drums and an [[Organ (music)|organ]], and that George Martin later persuaded them to allow McCartney to play his [[Epiphone Texan]] [[steel-string acoustic guitar]], later overdubbing a string quartet for backup. Regardless, none of the other band members were included in the final recording.{{sfn|Mallick|2000}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2006}}

McCartney performed two [[take]]s of "Yesterday" on 14 June 1965.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1994|p=10}}{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=59}} Take 2 was deemed better and used as the [[Audio mastering|master]] take. On 17 June, an additional vocal track by McCartney and a string quartet were [[overdubbing|overdubbed]] on take two and that version was released.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=59}}

Take 1, without the string overdub, was later released on the ''[[Anthology 2]]'' compilation. On take 1, McCartney can be heard giving chord changes to Harrison before starting. Still, while Harrison does not appear actually to play, he is most certainly present because his voice is captured on the session tapes. Take 2 had two lines transposed from the first take: "There's a shadow hanging over me"/"I'm not half the man I used to be",{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|pp=2–10}} though it seems clear that their order in take 2 was the correct one because McCartney can be heard, in take 1, suppressing a laugh at his mistake.

In 2006, just before the album ''[[Love (Beatles album)|Love]]'' was released, George Martin elaborated on the recording set-up of the song:{{sfn|Rees|2006}}

{{blockquote|Paul played his guitar and sang it live, a mic on the guitar and mic on the voice. But, of course, the voice comes on to the guitar mic and the guitar comes on to the voice mic. So there's leakage there. Then I said I'd do a string quartet. The musicians objected to playing with headphones, so I gave them Paul's voice and guitar on two speakers either side of their microphones. So there's leakage of Paul's guitar and voice on the string tracks.}}

The sound leakage from one track to another caused concern when the surround version of the song was mixed for ''Love'', but it was decided to include the track nevertheless. As Martin explained in the liner notes of ''Love'':<ref>George Martin's liner notes to ''[[Love (Beatles album)|Love]]'', [[Apple Records|Apple]]/[[Parlophone]] 094638078920.</ref>

<blockquote>We agonised over the inclusion of "Yesterday" in the show. It is such a famous song, the icon of an era, but had it been heard too much? The story of the addition of the original string quartet is well known, however, few people know how limited the recording was technically, and so the case for not including it was strong, but how could we ignore such a marvellous work? We introduced it with some of Paul's guitar work from "[[Blackbird (Beatles song)|Blackbird]]", and hearing it now, I know it was right to include it. Its simplicity is so direct; it tugs at the heartstrings.</blockquote>

==Release==

Concerning the debate on how the song should be released, Martin later said: "['Yesterday'] wasn't really a Beatles record and I discussed this with [[Brian Epstein]]: 'You know this is Paul's song&nbsp;... shall we call it Paul McCartney?' He said 'No, whatever we do we are not splitting up the Beatles.'"{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=175}} Since "Yesterday" was unlike the Beatles' previous work and did not fit in with their image, the Beatles refused to permit the release of a single in the United Kingdom. This did not prevent [[Matt Monro]] from recording the first of many cover versions of "Yesterday". His version made it into the top ten in the UK charts soon after its release in the autumn of 1965.{{sfn|Unterberger|2006}}

The Beatles' influence over their US record label, [[Capitol Records|Capitol]], was not as strong as it was over [[EMI]]'s [[Parlophone]] label in Britain. A single was released in the US, pairing "Yesterday" with "[[Act Naturally]]", a track which featured vocals by [[Ringo Starr]].{{sfn|Wallgren|1982|p=43}} The single was released on 13 September 1965 and topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart for four weeks, beginning on 9 October. The song spent a total of 11 weeks on the chart, selling a million copies within five weeks.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cross|first=Craig|year=2004|title=American singles|url= http://www.beatles-discography.com/record-by-record/?us-single=yesterday|access-date = 9 December 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140322003355/http://www.beatles-discography.com/record-by-record/?us-single=yesterday|archive-date=22 March 2014}}</ref> The single was also number one for three weeks on the US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' pop singles chart the same year.

"Yesterday" was the fifth of six number-one Beatles singles in a row on the American charts, a record at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.music.us/billboardmagazine.htm |title=Billboard Magazine – Buy Mag – Billboards Charts – Top 10 20 40 100 Music Chart – Singles – Albums |publisher=Music.us |access-date=9 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207180137/http://www.music.us/billboardmagazine.htm |archive-date=7 February 2012 }}</ref> The other singles were "[[I Feel Fine]]", "[[Eight Days a Week (song)|Eight Days a Week]]", "[[Ticket to Ride (song)|Ticket to Ride]]", "[[Help! (song)|Help!]]" and "[[We Can Work It Out]]".{{sfn|Wallgren|1982|pp=38–45}} On 4 March 1966, the song was issued as the title track of the British [[extended play|EP]] ''[[Yesterday (Beatles EP)|Yesterday]]''. On 26 March, the EP went to number one, a position it held for two months.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cross|first=Craig|year=2004|title=BRITISH EPS|url= http://www.beatles-discography.com/record-by-record/?uk-ep=yesterday|access-date=14 January 2006}}{{dead link|date=September 2014}}</ref> Later that year, "Yesterday" was included as the title track of the North American album ''[[Yesterday and Today]]''.

"Yesterday" was released on the album ''[[A Collection of Beatles Oldies]]'', a compilation album released in the United Kingdom in December 1966, featuring hit singles and other songs issued by the group between 1963 and 1966.

On 8 March 1976, "Yesterday" was released by Parlophone as a single in the UK, featuring "[[I Should Have Known Better]]" on the B-side. The single peaked at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. The release came about due to the expiration of the Beatles' contract with EMI, which allowed the company to repackage the Beatles' recordings as they wished. EMI reissued all 22 of the Beatles' UK singles, plus "Yesterday", on the same day, leading to six of them placing on the UK chart.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cross|first=Craig|year=2004|title=British singles|url= http://www.beatles-discography.com/record-by-record/?uk-single=yesterday|access-date=9 December 2004}}{{Dead link|date=July 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In 2006, a version of the song was included on the album ''Love''. The version begins with the [[acoustic guitar]] intro from the song "Blackbird" transposed down a whole step to F major from its original key G to transition smoothly into "Yesterday".

==Reception and legacy==

"Yesterday" is one of the most recorded songs in the history of popular music. Its entry in ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' states that, by January 1986, 1,600 cover versions had been made.{{sfn|Guinness World Records|2009}} After [[Muzak]] switched in the 1990s to programs based on commercial recordings, its inventory grew to include about 500 "Yesterday" covers.{{sfn|Owen|2006}} In his 1972 article on the development of rock music, Joel Vance of ''[[Sound & Vision (magazine)|Stereo Review]]'' magazine credited the song with originating the vogue for [[Progressive rock|classical]] and [[Baroque pop|baroque rock]], anticipating [[the Rolling Stones]]' recording of "[[As Tears Go By (song)|As Tears Go By]]" and works by artists such as [[the Moody Blues]] and [[the Classics IV]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Joel|last=Vance|title=The Fragmentation of Rock|magazine=[[Sound & Vision (magazine)|Stereo Review]]|date=February 1972|page=66 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-HiFI-Stereo/70s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1972-02.pdf|access-date=31 July 2021}}</ref>

"Yesterday" won the [[Ivor Novello Award]] for "Outstanding Song of 1965",{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=236}} and came second in the "Most Performed Work of the Year" category, behind the Lennon–McCartney composition "[[Michelle (song)|Michelle]]". More recently, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked "Yesterday" at number 13 on its 2004 list "[[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]"{{sfn|Rolling Stone|2007}} and fourth on its 2010 list of "The Beatles' 100 Greatest Songs".{{sfn|Rolling Stone|2011}}<ref name=RollingStone100>{{cite web|title=4. Yesterday |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919/yesterday-19691231|work=100 Greatest Beatles Songs |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=21 May 2013}}</ref> In 1999, [[Broadcast Music Incorporated]] (BMI) placed "Yesterday" third on its list of songs of the 20th century most performed on American radio and television, with approximately seven million performances. "Yesterday" was surpassed only by [[the Association]]'s "[[Never My Love]]" and [[the Righteous Brothers]]' "[[You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin']]".<ref name=BMI232893/> "Yesterday" was voted Best Song of the 20th century in a 1999 [[BBC Radio 2]] poll.{{sfn|BBC News|1999}}

The song was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] in 1997. Although it was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] at the [[1966 Grammy Awards]], it lost out to [[Tony Bennett]]'s "[[The Shadow of Your Smile]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=GRAMMY Hall of Fame |url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |access-date=27 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122042616/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |archive-date=22 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Beatles|url=https://www.grammy.com/artist/the-beatles|publisher=Grammy.com|access-date=27 January 2014}}</ref> "Yesterday" was nominated for six [[Grammy Awards|Grammys]] in total that year, and "Help!" was also nominated in four categories.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=226}} After the band had failed to win any of the ten awards, [[Alan W. Livingston|Alan Livingston]], the head of Capitol Records, officially protested about the results, saying that "Yesterday" being passed over for the Song of the Year "makes a mockery of the whole event".{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=227}}

[[File:Paul McCartney with Linda McCartney - Wings - 1976.jpg|right|thumbnail|Following the Beatles' break-up, McCartney (pictured with his wife [[Linda McCartney|Linda]] in 1976) began performing the song live in 1975 during his [[Wings Over the World tour]].]]

[[Chuck Berry]] said that "Yesterday" was the song that he wished that he had written.<ref>{{cite web|title=FOX 2 Exclusive: An Interview With Chuck Berry|website = [[YouTube]]| date=7 November 2008 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtFHpsf-2n8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/QtFHpsf-2n8| archive-date=17 November 2021 | url-status=live|access-date=28 December 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "Yesterday" has also been criticised for being mundane and mawkish. [[Bob Dylan]] had a marked dislike for the song, stating that "If you go into the [[Library of Congress]], you can find a lot better than that. There are millions of songs like 'Michelle' and 'Yesterday' written in [[Tin Pan Alley]]." Accompanied by Harrison, Dylan recorded his own version of "Yesterday" four years later, on 1 May 1970,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=20 November 2020 |title=Flashback: Bob Dylan Sings an Impromptu 'Yesterday' With George Harrison in 1970 |url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-dylan-george-harrison-yesterday-beatles-1970-19602/ |access-date=5 June 2024 |website=Rolling Stone Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref> but it was never released.{{sfn|Mallick|2000}}

Shortly before he died in 1980, Lennon commented, "Although the lyrics don't resolve into any sense, they're good lines. They certainly work ... but if you read the whole song, it doesn't say anything" and added the song was "beautiful – and I never wished I'd written it".<ref>Sheff, David. (1981) ''The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono'' p. 118</ref> Lennon made reference to "Yesterday" in his song "[[How Do You Sleep? (John Lennon song)|How Do You Sleep?]]" on his 1971 album ''[[Imagine (John Lennon album)|Imagine]]''. The song appears to attack McCartney with the line "The only thing you done was yesterday, but since you've gone you're just another day", a reference to McCartney's recent hit "[[Another Day (Paul McCartney song)|Another Day]]".

In 2001, McCartney said that he had asked [[Yoko Ono]] to agree to change the writing credit for "Yesterday" from "Lennon/McCartney" to "McCartney/Lennon". He said that Ono refused, which was one of the reasons for their poor relationship at the time.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/fs1TYtUjoiI Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210324231047/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs1TYtUjoiI Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|title=Howard Interviews Paul McCartney 10-18-2001| date=21 January 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs1TYtUjoiI|language=en|access-date=8 December 2021}}{{cbignore}}.</ref>

At the [[48th Annual Grammy Awards|2006 Grammy Awards]], McCartney performed "Yesterday" live as a mash-up with [[Linkin Park]] and [[Jay Z]]'s "[[Numb/Encore]]".

In 2012, the [[BBC]] reported that "Yesterday" remained the fourth-most-successful song of all time in terms of royalties paid, having amassed a total of £19.5 million in payments.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.didyouwatchit.com/bbc4/bbc4-the-worlds-richest-songs/ |title=BBC4….The World's Richest Songs |publisher=Did You Watch It? |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101163252/http://www.didyouwatchit.com/bbc4/bbc4-the-worlds-richest-songs/ |archive-date=1 January 2016}}</ref>

==Personnel==

According to [[Mark Lewisohn]]{{sfn|Lewisohn|1994|p=10}} and [[Ian MacDonald]]:{{sfn|MacDonald |2008|p=157}}

'''The Beatles'''

*[[Paul McCartney]] – vocal, acoustic guitar

'''Additional musicians and production'''

*Tony Gilbert – violin

*[[Sidney Sax]] – violin

*Kenneth Essex – [[viola]]

*Peter Halling/Francisco Gabarró – cello

* [[George Martin]] – producer, string arrangement

*[[Norman Smith (record producer)|Norman Smith]] – engineer

==Charts==

===Weekly charts===

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|+Original weekly chart performance

!align="left"|Chart (1965)

!align="center"|Peak<br />position

|-

|Australian ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name="AUSchart">{{cite book | title=Australian Chart Book (1940–1969) | author=Kent, David | publisher=Australian Chart Book | ___location=Turramurra | year=2005 | isbn=0-646-44439-5}}</ref>

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

|{{single chart|Austria|10|artist=The Beatles|song=Yesterday|access-date=16 May 2016}}

|-

|{{single chart|Flanders|1|artist=The Beatles|song=Yesterday|access-date=16 May 2016}}

|-

|Denmark ([[Hitlisten|Salgshitlisterne Top 20]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Beatles - Salgshitlisterne Top 20|url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104013806/http://danskehitlister.dk/?artist_id=26|archive-date=4 November 2013|access-date=2 August 2022|website=Danske Hitlister}}</ref>

| style="text-align:center;" |7

|-

|Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name=Finland>{{cite book|first=Jake|last=Nyman|year=2005|title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja|edition=1st|publisher=Tammi|___location=Helsinki|isbn=951-31-2503-3|language=fi}}</ref>

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|-

|{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|4|artist=The Beatles|song=Yesterday |chartid=5620|access-date=28 November 2021}}

|-

|Italy (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e dischi]]|language=it|access-date=31 May 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Yesterday".</ref>

|align=center|15

|-

|{{single chart|Dutch100|1|artist=The Beatles|song=Yesterday|access-date=16 May 2016}}

|-

|New Zealand (''Lever Hit Parade'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever&qartistid=8#n_view_location |title=Flavour of New Zealand, 11 November 1965 |publisher=Flavourofnz.co.nz |access-date=30 June 2019 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019150229/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever#n_view_location |url-status=dead }}</ref>

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

|{{single chart|Norway|1|artist=The Beatles|song=Yesterday|access-date=16 May 2016}}

|-

|Sweden ([[Kvällstoppen]])<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hallberg|first=Eric|title=Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975|publisher=Drift Musik|year=1993|pages=130|isbn=9163021404|___location=}}</ref>

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|-

|Sweden (''[[Tio i Topp]]'')<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hallberg |first1=Eric |title=Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74 |last2=Henningsson |first2=Ulf |publisher=Premium Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=919727125X |___location= |pages=53}}</ref>

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|-

|{{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=The Beatles|access-date=16 May 2016}}

|-

|US [[Cashbox (magazine)|''Cash Box'' Top 100]]<ref>{{cite book| first=Frank| last=Hoffmann| year=1983| title=The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950–1981| publisher=The Scarecrow Press, Inc| ___location=Metuchen, NJ & London| pages= 32–34}}</ref>

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|-

|West German [[Media Control]] Singles Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts|title=Offizielle Deutsche Charts|format=Enter "Beatles" in the search box|publisher=[[GfK Entertainment Charts]]|language=de|access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref>

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|-

|}

{{col-2}}

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|+Reissue weekly chart performance

!align="left"|Chart (1976)

!align="center"|Peak<br />position

|-

|Australian ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name="AUSchart"/>

| style="text-align:center;"|86

|-

|{{single chart|Dutch100|26|artist=The Beatles|song=Yesterday|access-date=16 May 2016}}

|-

|{{single chart|Ireland2|4|artist=The Beatles|song=Yesterday|access-date=16 May 2016}}

|-

|{{single chart|UK|8|date=1976-04-03|access-date=16 May 2016}}

|-

!align="left"|Chart (2010)

!align="center"|Peak<br />position

|-

|{{single chart|Spain|44|artist=The Beatles|song=Yesterday|access-date=17 May 2016}}

|-

|{{single chart|Poland|5|year=2010|chartid=35|access-date=10 December 2011}}

|-

!align="left"|Chart (2019)

!align="center"|Peak<br />position

|-

{{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|14|artist=The Beatles|access-date=2 May 2021}}

|}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

===Year-end charts===

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|-

!align="left"|Chart (1965)

!align="center"|Peak<br />Rank

|-

|US ''Cash Box''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1965YESP.html |title=Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1965 |access-date=11 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601014249/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1965YESP.html |archive-date=1 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

|align="center"|68

|-

|}

==Certifications==

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=The Beatles|title=Yesterday|award=Gold|certyear=2023|id=12536|access-date=7 June 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|artist=The Beatles|title=Yesterday|nocert=true|relyear=1965|type=single|salesamount=75,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.top-france.fr/html/45tours/45t1965.htm|title=TOP – 1965|work=40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles|author=[[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]] (SNEP)|editor=Fabrice Ferment|access-date=28 March 2023|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530205859/http://www.top-france.fr/html/45tours/45t1965.htm|archive-date=30 May 2022|via=Top-France.fr|oclc=469523661}}</ref>}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=The Beatles|title=Yesterday|award=Gold|certyear=2019|relyear=1965|note=sales since 2009|access-date=26 November 2020}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|artist=The Beatles|title=Yesterday|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1965|certyear=2020|id=file_2021-03-26-10-09-12.pdf|access-date=3 October 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1965|certyear=2024|artist=The Beatles|title=Yesterday|accessdate=16 January 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Beatles|title=Yesterday|type=single|award=Platinum|id=15843-1786-1|relyear=2010|certyear=2023|note=sales since 2010|access-date=25 August 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=The Beatles|title=Yesterday|award=Gold|relyear=1965|certyear=1965|type=single|salesamount=1,800,000|salesref=<ref name="sales">{{cite book|title=Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory|url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL120558W/Million_selling_records_from_the_1900s_to_the_1980s|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1985|publisher=Arco Pub.|quote=This plaintive romantic song proved to be a colossal hit in the U.S.A., selling over one million in 10 days plus R.I.A.A. Gold Disc award and staying at No 1 there four weeks with 11 weeks in the bestsellers, with a final total of 1,800,000 sold. ... Total sales estimated at well over two and a half million|isbn=0668064595|page=203}}</ref>}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|artist=The Beatles|title=Yesterday|nocert=true|relyear=1965|type=single|salesamount=2,500,000|salesref=<ref name="sales"/>}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true|noshipments=true}}

==Notes==

{{Reflist|group="note"}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

===Sources===

{{Refbegin|35em}}

* {{Cite news

| work=NPR News

| title=All We Are Saying: Three Weeks with John Lennon

| date=9 October 2010

| url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130429818

| access-date=9 October 2010

}}

* {{cite web

| work=The Official Charts

| title=Artist chart history: Wet Wet Wet

| year=2010

| url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/wet%20wet%20wet/

| access-date=8 December 2010

}}

* {{Cite book

| author=The Beatles

| year=2000

| author-link=The Beatles

| title=The Beatles Anthology

| publisher=Chronicle Books

| ___location=San Francisco

| isbn=0-8118-2684-8

| url-access=registration

| url=https://archive.org/details/beatlesanthology0000unse

}}

* {{Cite journal

| last=Cahill

| first=Greg

| title=Encore: It Was 40 Years Ago Today – How the Beatles Launched a String-Playing Revolution

| date=June–July 2005

| journal=Strings Go to Journal Record

| volume=20:1:130

}}

* {{Cite book

| last=Coleman

| first=Ray

| year=1995

| title=Yesterday & Today

| publisher=Boxtree Limited

| ___location=London

| isbn=0-7522-1669-4

}}

* {{Cite book

| last=Cross

| first=Craig

| year=2005

| title=The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record

| publisher=iUniverse, Inc.

| ___location=Lincoln, NE

| isbn=0-595-34663-4

}}

* {{Cite news

| work=BBC News

| title=ENTERTAINMENT &#124; Bruch and Beatles top radio polls

| date=6 April 1999

| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/312810.stm

| access-date=3 February 2009

| ref={{SfnRef|BBC News|1999}}

}}

* {{Cite book

| last=Everett

| first=Walter

| year=1999

| title=The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology

| publisher=[[Oxford University Press]], USA

| isbn=978-0-19-512941-0

}}

* {{cite book|editor-last=Gorlinski|editor-first=Gini|year=2010|title=The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time|publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing|___location=New York, NY|isbn=978-1-61530-006-8}}

* {{Cite book

| last=Hall

| first=Claude

| date=30 October 1965

| title=Billboard

| issn=0006-2510

| page=40

}}

* {{cite web

| last=Hammond

| first=Ian

| year=2001

| title=Old sweet songs

| url=https://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME05/Oldsweetsongs.shtml

| access-date=28 August 2009

| archive-date=29 June 2012

| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629023742/http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME05/Oldsweetsongs.shtml

| url-status=dead

}}

* {{cite web

| work=Beatles Interview Database

| year=2009

| title=Help!: Yesterday

| url=http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/dba05help.html

| access-date=17 May 2009

| ref={{SfnRef|Beatles Interview Database|2009}}

}}

* {{Cite magazine

| last=Ignatius

| first=Adi

| title=A Tsar Is Born

| date=19 December 2007

| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]

| url=https://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1690757_1690766,00.html

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220201506/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1690757_1690766,00.html

| url-status=dead

| archive-date=20 December 2007

| access-date=3 February 2009

}}

* {{Cite news

| work=BBC News

| title=King Cole 'influenced' Beatles hit

| date=7 July 2003

| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3050614.stm

| ref={{SfnRef|BBC News|2003}}

}}

* {{Cite book

| last=Lewisohn

| first=Mark

| year=1988

| author-link=Mark Lewisohn

| title=The Beatles Recording Sessions

| publisher=Harmony Books

| ___location=New York

| isbn=0-517-57066-1

}}

* {{cite AV media notes

| last=Lewisohn

| first=Mark

| year=1994

| title=Anthology 2

| publisher=[[Apple Records]]

| ___location=London

| title-link=Anthology 2

| others=[[The Beatles]]

| type=booklet

| id=31796

}}

* {{Cite book

| last=MacDonald

| first=Ian

| year=2008

| title=Revolution in the Head, 2nd revised edition

| publisher=Vintage Books

| ___location=London

| isbn=978-0-09-952679-7

}}

* {{Cite news

| last=Mallick

| first=Heather

| title=Past Perfect

| date=22 November 2000

| work=Globe and Mail

| ___location=Canada

| url=https://v1.theglobeandmail.com/series/songs/RVMALL.html

| access-date=2 January 2011

}}

* {{Cite book

| last=Miles

| first=Barry

| year=1997

| author-link=Barry Miles

| title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now

| publisher=Henry Holt & Company

| ___location=New York

| isbn=0-8050-5249-6

| url-access=registration

| url=https://archive.org/details/paulmccartneyman00mile

}}

*{{cite book|last=Miles|first=Barry|title=The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years|year=2001|publisher=Omnibus Press|___location=London|isbn=0-7119-8308-9}}

* {{cite web

| work=[[Guinness World Records]]

| year=2009

| title=Most Recorded Song

| url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=50867

| access-date=12 May 2009

| ref={{SfnRef|Guinness World Records|2009}}

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060910071729/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=50867

| archive-date=10 September 2006

}}

* {{Cite book

| last=Napier-Bell

| first=Simon

| year=2001

| author-link=Simon Napier-Bell

| title=Black Vinyl, White Powder: The Real Story of the British Music Industry

| publisher=Ebury Press

| isbn=978-0-09-186992-2

}}

* {{cite web

| last=Ortiz

| first=Marcos

| year=2005

| title=Marcos' Beatles Page – Yesterday

| url=https://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/6797/songs/yesterday.html

| access-date=14 January 2006

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051220202050/http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/6797/songs/yesterday.html

| archive-date=20 December 2005

}}

* {{cite web

| last=Pollack

| first=Alan W

| date=1 February 1993

| author-link=Alan W. Pollack

| title=Notes on "Yesterday"

| work=Notes On ... Series

| url=https://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/y.html

| access-date=14 January 2006

}}

* {{Cite news

| last=Rees

| first=Jasper

| title= The Beatles as never before

| date= 25 October 2006

| work= [[Www.telegraph.co.uk|The Telegraph]]

| url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3656105/The-Beatles-as-never-before.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3656105/The-Beatles-as-never-before.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live

| access-date=20 December 2011

}}{{cbignore}}

* {{cite magazine

| magazine=Rolling Stone

| year=2007

| title=The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060815105453/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs

| url-status=dead

| archive-date=15 August 2006

| access-date=28 February 2007

| ref={{SfnRef|Rolling Stone|2007}}

}}

* {{cite magazine

| magazine=Rolling Stone

| year=2011

| title=The RS 100 Greatest Beatles Songs of All Time

| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919

| access-date=19 September 2011

| ref={{SfnRef|Rolling Stone|2011}}

}}

* {{Cite magazine

| last=Owen

| first=David

| date=10 April 2006

| title=The Soundtrack of Your Life

| magazine=The New Yorker

| url=https://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060410fa_fact

| access-date=18 April 2006

| archive-date=4 January 2013

| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104042042/http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060410fa_fact

| url-status=dead

}}

* {{Cite news

| last=Scott

| first=Kirsty

| date=2 June 2003

| title=Lennon and McCartney? Let it be

| work=The Guardian

| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jun/02/thebeatles.arts

| access-date=24 January 2010

}}

* {{Cite book

| last=Turner

| first=Steve

| year=2005

| author-link=Steve Turner (writer)

| title=A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song

| publisher=Harper Paperbacks

| ___location=New York

| edition=3rd

| isbn=0-06-084409-4

}}

* {{cite web

| last=Unterberger

| first=Richie

| year=2006

| author-link=Richie Unterberger

| title=Review of Yesterday

| website=Allmusic

| url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t819456|pure_url=yes}}

| access-date=14 January 2006

}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

* {{Cite book

| last=Wallgren

| first=Mark

| year=1982

| title=The Beatles on Record

| publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]

| ___location=New York

| isbn=0-671-45682-2

}}

{{Refend}}

==External links==

{{Wikiquote|Help! (album)}}

<!-- Licensed Chords & Lyrics provider -->

* {{YouTube|NrgmdOz227I|Yesterday}}

* {{SecondHandSongs|1409|Yesterday}}

{{Help! (album)}}

{{The Beatles singles}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yesterday (Song)}}

[[Category:1965 songs]]

[[Category:1965 singles]]

[[Category:1976 singles]]

[[Category:The Beatles songs]]

[[Category:Capitol Records singles]]

[[Category:Parlophone singles]]

[[Category:Compositions in the Real Book]]

[[Category:Songs written by Lennon–McCartney]]

[[Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin]]

[[Category:Songs published by Northern Songs]]

[[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]]

[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]]

[[Category:Cashbox number-one singles]]

[[Category:Number-one singles in Norway]]

[[Category:Baroque pop songs]]

[[Category:Torch songs]]

[[Category:Pop ballads]]

[[Category:1960s ballads]]

[[Category:Chamber pop songs]]

[[Category:Songs about nostalgia]]

[[Category:Songs about heartache]]

[[Category:British pop rock songs]]

[[Category:Breakup songs]]